Many expected Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne to be strong championship contenders, but for different reasons, they were not.

Kevin Harvick? Who gave him much of a chance going into what his “lame-duck” season at Richard Childress Racing? And who came up with these crazy preseason rankings anyway?

Most expected Matt Kenseth to be strong at Joe Gibbs Racing, but that strong?

The one constant was Jimmie Johnson, who was ranked near the top in our preseason rankings, swapped the top spot with Kenseth most of the year and wound up back in his rightful spot when it was all said and done.

What else is there to say? A sixth championship in eight years has sparked discussions of Johnson being the best ever, drawn comparisons to top athletes in other sports and landed him a gig on SportsCenter. “Six-Pack” still rules the sport, and at 38, he’s far from done yet.

2

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Matt Kenseth (Preseason: 5)

Kenseth was so consistent when he won the 2003 championship that NASCAR changed the points system. He was better this year — seven wins and 20 top-10s — but didn’t win the championship. That shows how much more competitive the Chase is.

After coming so close, can Kenseth challenge again in 2014?

3

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Kevin Harvick (13)

Harvick was a pain in Richard Childress’ backside for much of his 13 years at RCR. But you can’t argue with the results — 23 wins and six top-five points finishes, including 12 wins and three third-place points finishes in his last four years. And his best season might have been his last — four wins and a third-place finish when many believed he would ride out his “lame-duck” season.

Despite the headaches and criticism, Harvick’s talent will be sorely missed at RCR.

4

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. (7)

Once again, Earnhardt failed to win a race and left Junior Nation wanting more. But he gave his fans a reason to believe at the end of the season. Earnhardt finished strong — five top-fives (including three runnerup finishes) and eight top-10s in the last nine races to climb to fifth in the standings, his best points finish since 2006.

Now Junior Nation has a reason to hope for more in 2014.

5

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Kyle Busch (6)

Busch looked to have his best chance to win a championship, but once again, it wasn’t meant to be. A wreck at Kansas spoiled a strong start and knocked him out of title contention.

But Busch didn’t give up. He raced hard to the end and wound up fourth in the standings — his best points finish ever. More importantly, Busch kept his composure and finally showed the maturity that fans have been waiting on the past few seasons.

Rowdy should be a factor again in 2014.

6

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Jeff Gordon (9)

Jeff Gordon got a lucky break when Brian France added him as a 13th driver to the Chase. And for a while, he looked like he deserved it, scoring five top-10 finishes and winning at Martinsville. Then he wrecked at Texas and struggled in the last two races, ending his slim title hopes.

The win and Chase appearance salvaged a good season for Gordon, but good is not what is expected from a hall-of-fame driver with 88 career victories. Gordon’s struggles have sparked talk of yet another crew chief change. But this might be as good as it gets as Gordon nears the end of a spectacular career.

7

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Joey Logano (15)

Logano’s first season with Penske Racing was a success, proving that Roger Penske was right to gamble on the young driver. Logano scored his third career victory, made the Chase for the first time and finished eighth in the final standings.

Though he got off to a bad start in the Chase, he came back strong, scoring five top-10 finishes, including three straight to en

8

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Clint Bowyer (8)

Bowyer could not have had a more disappointing finish to the season. Considered a championship contender when he climbed to second in points at midseason, the bottom fell out for Bowyer during the infamous race at Richmond when his Michael Waltrip Racing team committed a serious violation that wrecked his season and the organization.

Bowyer was not only docked 50 points for spinning intentionally to bring out a caution flag, but his reputation took a beating. Bowyer then floundered throughout the Chase and wound up seventh in the final standings. Bowyer will be glad to put 2013 behind and start fresh in 2014. With MWR losing sponsor NAPA and forced to cut back to two full-time teams, it’s crucial that Bowyer rebound and return to form.

9

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Greg Biffle (12)

Biffle made the Chase for the second straight year, but he wasn’t as strong as in 2012. He won just one race and struggled much of the season, scoring just four top-five finishes and just three top-10s in the Chase.

Much of his struggles were due to the overall struggles of Ford and Roush Fenway Racing. At 43, 2014 will be a big season for Biffle.

10

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Kurt Busch (17)

Considering where he was in 2012 — 25th with Phoenix Racing — and what was expected this season, Busch had a fabulous season with Furniture Row Racing. Though the team didn’t win a race, Busch carried it into the Chase and exceeded expectations with the single-car team.

His 11 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes give the team a reason to believe that it can compete with the elite multicar teams. And now Busch becomes a championship contender again after moving to Stewart-Haas Racing.

11

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Ryan Newman (16)

Newman wound up having a memorable season in his last year at Stewart-Haas. He scored one of the biggest victories of his career in winning the Brickyard 400 at Indy. Then he was on the verge of winning at Richmond to make the Chase prior to Clint Bowyer’s infamous spin and the Michael Waltrip Racing shenanigans. NASCAR rightly added Newman to the Chase after kicking out MWR’s Truex.

Unfortunately, Newman didn’t do much with it. He had six top-10 finishes, but finishes of 35th at Kansas and 38th at Martinsville doomed him. Newman finished 11th in the final standings, which was his five-year average at Stewart-Haas.

12

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Carl Edwards (11)

Like Biffle, Edwards seemed to be handicapped by the struggles at Roush and Ford. He won two races and seemed to be a championship contender for much of the season, especially after winning the regular-season finale at Richmond. But he bombed in the Chase.

A 35th-place finish at Dover knocked him out of title contention and he scored just one top-five and three top-10s in the Chase. Running out of fuel while leading heading to the white flag at Phoenix will haunt him throughout the offseason.

13

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Kasey Kahne (4)

Kahne won two races and made the Chase, but everything else was pretty much a disappointment, especially considering that some picked him to win the championship. Plagued by inconsistency and misfortune, Kahne got off to a slow start in the Chase and was done after a 37th-place finish at New Hampshire.

How close was he to a really great season? He finished second six times. He also finished 32nd or worse eight times, contributing to his 12th-place finish in the final standings. Kahne needs to step up next season to reach expectations at Hendrick.

14

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Brad Keselowski (1)

Who could have predicted that the 2012 champion would miss the Chase and wind up 14th in points? But Keselowski fell victim to the Chase curse, becoming the latest champion or contender to struggle the following season.

After a fast start, Keselowski struggled throughout the summer and was winless and 15th after the regular season. He ran better in the Chase, winning at Charlotte and scoring five top-10s in the last 10 races, but it was too little, too late. Ironically, he may have to lean on teammate Joey Logano for a little help entering 2014.

15

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Jamie McMurray (21)

McMurray was headed for a third straight disappointing season until his Earnhardt Ganassi team showed dramatic improvement in the second half. A series of strong runs culminated with a victory at Talladega in October, his first win since his magical 2010 season.

McMurray climbed from 21st to 15th in the standings in the second half and has some momentum for 2014. A key will be how well he works with new rookie teammate Kyle Larson.

16

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Martin Truex (14)

Truex joins Keselowski as the biggest disappointment of 2013, but it wasn’t all his fault. Truex won his first race since 2007 in June and actually made the Chase. Then things blew up big-time. Truex was docked 50 points and tossed out of the Chase after NASCAR ruled that Michael Waltrip Racing tried to manipulate the finish at Richmond to get him into the playoffs. With the organization reeling, sponsor NAPA pulled the plug on Truex’s team, leaving him without a ride for 2014.

He has since signed with Furniture Row Racing, but the sting of 2013 may linger for a while.

17

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Denny Hamlin (3)

Any win is big, but especially in the season finale, which gives a driver and team big momentum going into the following season. No one needed it more than Hamlin, who suffered a painful and miserable 2013 season. Hamlin got off to a slow start and it only got worse when Joey Logano wrecked him during a late battle for the lead at Auto Club Speedway in March. The hard crash left Hamlin with a broken vertebra in his lower back that caused him to miss the next four races. He hoped to recover quickly enough to make the Chase, but it didn’t happen. Instead, he struggled and slumped as low as 27th in the standings and resorted to being a guinea pig for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin showed some life at the end of the season, however, and won the season finale, which should be a big boost for a team that should contend again in 2014.

18

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (18)

Yeah, we got one right. Stenhouse found out that making a big splash as a rookie is not so easy anymore (unless, of course, you’re dating the hottest driver in the series). Many expected Stenhouse, a two-time Nationwide champion, to win a race and maybe even challenge for a Chase spot. Instead, he struggled all season and wound up with just three top-10 finishes. He did show progress at the end of the season and cracked the top 20 in points.

And his social life and off-track activities got more attention than most drivers.

19

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Paul Menard (23)

Menard finished the season with a bang — a big one. Menard made more headlines and highlight reels in the season finale than he did all season when his right rear tire exploded on pit road, creating a huge fireball and nearly injuring a crewman.

The rest of the year, he had a typical season. He ran well early, flirted with a Chase spot and then slumped to 17th in the final standings. In three years with Richard Childress Racing, Menard has finished 17th, 16th and 17th.

20

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Aric Almirola (22)

After a strong finish last season and a fast start this year, Almirola looked like he’d finally arrived. After four straight top-10 finishes in April and May, he was eighth in points and looked like a contender for a Chase spot. But he had just two more top-10s the rest of the season and slumped to 18th in the final standings.

Still, that’s two spots better than his first season with Richard Petty Motorsports.

21

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Jeff Burton (20)

This is not the way Jeff Burton wanted to end what has been an outstanding career. Burton has 21 career victories, four top-five points finishes and four Chase appearances. Unfortunately, his last three seasons have not lived up to those standards.

Burton scored just six top-10 finishes and finished 20th in the standings in his final season with Richard Childress Racing. And the biggest news was not good as Burton and RCR agreed to part ways with a year left on his contract. Now Burton is looking for a new ride for 2014, and that probably will be only part-time.

22

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Juan Pablo Montoya (24)

Montoya will leave NASCAR much the same way he spent the past seven years — showing great promise but never fulfilling his lofty expectations. Montoya scored four top-five and eight top-10 finishes before deciding to go back to IndyCar next season.

He wrapped up his NASCAR career with just two Cup victories — both on road courses — and never realized his goal of winning on an oval track. He saw two golden opportunities — at Richmond and Dover — slip away, which was typical of his seven-year NASCAR experiment.

23

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Marcos Ambrose (19)

While Almirola made slight progress in his second season with Richard Petty Motorsports, Ambrose did not, slumping to 22nd in the standings after cracking the top 20 the past two seasons. He also failed to win a race for the first time in three seasons, watching opportunities at Sonoma and Watkins Glen slip away.

Like Montoya, Ambrose has never won on an oval, so missing out on the two road courses was big. The Australian star will get one more chance in 2014.

24

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David Ragan (NR)

Ragan and Front Row Motorsports teammate David Gilliland had nearly identical statistics — one top-five, two top-10s, five and six top-20s and 26th and 28th in the standings. Except for one big exception — Ragan won the April race at Talladega, with Gilliland pushing him across the finish line.

The dramatic victory was the second of Ragan’s career, but the first for the small Front Row organization. Ragan backed it up with a sixth-place finish at Talladega in October, while both of Gilliland’s top-10s also came at Talladega (seventh in October).

25

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Danica Patrick (25)

Casey Mears or Danica Patrick? Which one deserves the final spot in our Top 25?

The two open-wheel stars had similar seasons, except for two big differences. Mears finished 24th in the standings, a surprisingly solid season for the Germain Racing driver. Patrick, meanwhile, was a disappointing 27th with powerful Stewart-Haas Racing. But Mears’ lone top-10 was a ninth-place finish at Daytona in July. Patrick’s was a spectacular eighth-place finish in the Daytona 500, where she won the pole and was running third going into the final turn. Patrick also had an impressive 12th-place run at Martinsville and finished the season with four top-20s in the last 10 races.

She’s also Danica, which means she brought more attention to the sport than almost any other driver just because she’s Danica.